Rnz: Song Crush

RNZ is unable to publish any content with commercially released music to podcast platforms, but Song Crush is available on our website rnz.co.nz/song-crush

The first Song Crush of the year has some songs nostalgic for the 80s, as well as some up-and-coming local musicians and more. Host Kirsten Johnstone is joined by Tony Stamp and Waveney Russ. 

Ballads for the end of the world, torch songs for broken hearts, political missives for everyone, and a glimmer of hope in them all. It’s Song Crush’s 2019 wrap of the (international) songs they’ve loved the most.

It was another strong year for music in Aotearoa, from the internationally acclaimed Aldous Harding and Tiny Ruins, to the grass roots DIY acts just bubbling up. The Song Crush team play some of their favourites.

Art-pop from Moses Sumney and FKA Twigs, a techno soundtrack from Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, an afrobeat banger, some sad-boy-soul, and some Scottish minimalist dream-pop feature on Song Crush this week. 

All year the Song Crush team have introduced you to new songs they're loving, but this week host Kirsten Johnstone threw the call out to you the listeners, for your favourite tune of 2019. Here's a handful of the answers we got. 

French For Rabbits find a new banging synth sound, British-Ghanaian rapper Kojey Radical shows his smooth side, and Wye Oak just keep on evolving - these songs and more on Song Crush this week. 

Doom folk, te reo Maori electronica, sample based soul and Jeff Goldblum's lounge album are some of the things discussed in Song Crush this week, but beware of tangents everywhere.

Kanye goes gospel - but is he just cashing in on the Christian dollar? Plus a woozy missive from Frank Ocean, a powerful message from Onehunga's SWIDT, and more. 

Some dreamy new local releases, thirsty soul, desert blues and Tibetan meditation music feature on Song Crush this week.

Homegrown guitar fuzz, classic New York hip-hop beats, dancehall riddims from France, and noisy Nashville country-rock are a few of the sounds you’ll hear on Song Crush this week. 

Nick Cave is at peace with his ghosts, Björk is cut up by The Knife, and New York indie-rockers Vivian Girls are back in business. Kirsten Johnstone and the Song Crush team are back with new songs to love.  

Schools out and the kids take over! Teenage music fans Oscar Horner and Benny Lindsay Williams explain the listening habits of the young and share their new favourite songs. Honorary adolescent Mark Cubey introduces us to the modern phenomenon that is Post Malone.

There's music for driving, running, dancing, and dreaming this week in Song Crush: A 96 year old Ethiopian nun, some techno legends, a Tongan finding his groove in Berlin, and a lo-fi bedroom producer are all in there. 

The song crush team have sonic whiplash this week, veering from orchestral bombast to old-school hip-hop to scandi-avant-techno to Chinese opera meets Jamaican rocksteady.

Septuagenarian Iggy Pop has a new set of jazz inflected songs - some silly, some profound; Octogenarian bluesman Bobby Rush gets frisky with 'Sweet Lizzy', SiR fills some sweet 'boudoir RnB' with the voice of Jill Scott and Kentucky folk singer Joan Shelley creates an oasis of calm. 

Lana Del Rey releases her strongest songs ever five albums in, Lizzo hits the top of the charts with a song released two years ago, King Princess is riding a big gay wave of queer pop - here's the latest crop of song crushes from the RNZ Music team. 

Nashville to K-Pop to K-Rd to DC Hardcore - Song Crush spans the global gamut this week. Hold on tight, it’s a bumpy ride. 

Songs of love lost, frustration, and oxygen particles feature in Song Crush this week. 

Some veterans of music are back in fine form, and The Song Crush team are here for it.